How President Trump's immigration executive order could affect Milwaukee

iStock/Douglas Rissing

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- President Donald Trump has promised to sign dozens of executive orders the moment he steps into the Oval Office.

The incoming, so-called "Border Czar," Tom Homan said there will be large-scale raids as part of President Trump's plan of cracking down on illegal immigration.

CBS 58 talked with people on both sides of the aisle on what mass deportation could look like for us here in Milwaukee.

One says it would make our city safer; while the other says prices will go up if these orders go into effect.

"This isn't a race issue. This is an issue of safety and security and protecting those that we care about," said Republican Party of Milwaukee Chairman Hilario Deleon. 

"Our state economist has been saying for years that Wisconsin's economy is going to be stalled unless we have increased immigration," said Pam Fendt, Milwaukee Area Labor Council president.

According to the Office of Homeland Security statistics, an estimated 11 million immigrants live in the U.S. without legal status.

"One of every five workers in the United States was born elsewhere," said Fendt.

Milwaukee Area Labor Council President Pam Fendt says Wisconsin needs these workers to do critical jobs.

"We don't know what would happen if millions of workers who do every day essential activities, everything from cutting meat to milking cows in our state," said Fendt.

Hilario Deleon is the chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee.

He says on Tuesday the Trump administration is going to start deporting undocumented immigrants.

"They are going to start working on deportations working with ICE; we've had protests happening here in Milwaukee because of an ICE facility being opened up," said Deleon.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE, told CBS 58 last week that the building will not be used for detention, but some in the community still have concerns.

"The facility clearly is much bigger than the downtown facility. The very day after the community rallied against that purposed move and expansion in Milwaukee, there was a national news story that the Trump administration is actively looking for space to house people," said Fendt.

Milwaukee is one of the hundreds of sanctuary cities across the country.

Border Czar Tom Homan named Chicago as one of the first to see immigration raids.

"What's going to happen in Chicago is ICE is going to start moving in going after these Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members that affect areas like Chicago and areas like Milwaukee," said Deleon.

If the Trump administration is able to start these mass deportations, a new report from the American Immigration Council says deporting just one million undocumented immigrants a year would have an economic impact of over $88 billion annually.

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